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In search of a noble heritage The week-long National Keraton (Palace) Festival in Cirebon, West Java, which ends tomorrow, may seem no more than a cultural festival, a remembrance of a feudalistic culture most Indonesians never experienced. But attitudes at the festival run the gamut from unreserved reverence, to apathy to practical uses for royal titles. The following stories were prepared by The Jakarta Post's team of reporters Devi M.

Shock of the new in Jakarta production of 'Julius Caesar' By Yenni Kwok JAKARTA (JP): The mob cannot care less when Cinna the poet pleads he is not the traitor they are searching for in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. "Tear him for his bad verses! Tear him for his bad verses!" they shriek defiantly. Jakarta Arts Institute's Teater Lembaga, set to perform the play next week, knows this scene only too well.

The Food Stall By Lea Pamungkas Idah choked and some moist grains of rice fell from her mouth. Her mother's call had disturbed her. The woman across the street had just arrived. This morning she was dressed in white down to her shoes. Only her hair, long and tangled, was black. A few moments later the automobile would leave again. The automobile was not too good. It resembled a truck but it was shorter and less bulky. Idah did not know what type of vehicle it was.

Jakarta Fair's provincial stalls unattractive JAKARTA (JP): If the Jakarta Fair was a competition between exhibitors to see who could attract the most interest, then the stands in Hall C exhibiting goods from the nation's 27 provinces would be the losers. Few people enter the hall to look at the goods displayed by local exhibitors. Most stands there have no unusual or peculiar attractions to intrigue the visitors and make them linger.

Tamil Tiger guerrillas release Indonesian skipper COLOMBO (AFP): The freed Indonesian skipper of a refugee ship yesterday said he had feared for his life throughout his three- day captivity by Tamil Tiger guerrillas who accused him of transporting government soldiers. Captain Nang Hadi, 40, said his abductors told him the 500- seater ferry, the MV Misen, was torched five days ago because it allegedly transported security personnel.

Guess What? Is Umar Kayam blazing a new career path since his retirement from teaching at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta in May? He is continuing to write short stories, novels and newspaper columns, as expected, but he has also accepted the lead role in the TV film Canthing. Umar Kayam the actor? "This is not a career. Arswendo happened to ask me to play the character of Pak Bei in this TV film," he said.

Kite festival brings back childhood memories By Irawati Wisnumurti JAKARTA (JP): What is so fascinating about kites? Why do people of all ages never tire of these flying objects? You would have found out had you gone to the Jakarta International Kite Festival at Monas park earlier this week. There, you would have seen a colorful array of material flapping in the wind. People stood staring at the sky with spools of yarn in their hands. You might wonder what the big deal was.

Designers license sunglasses but don't manufacture them By Dini S. Djalal JAKARTA (JP): A friend recently confessed to me that he was miserable about clothes and shoes, wearing each fraying item in his closet until they fall off. A free spirit, he disdains possessions and spending more than he should on life's necessities. But my penny-pinching friend is not wholly immune to materialism. He has oval-shaped tortoise-shell frames to cover up his eyes.

Royal status, a modern life phenomenon JAKARTA (JP): Nowadays affluent people are trying to seek noble titles. They examine their family tree and search for any clues that could link them to a royal family. For them, holding such a title gives a feeling of pride and prestige. What do both royal palace insiders and outsiders think about royalty, and the search for and preservation of noble titles? Ong Hok Ham, historian: New elites seek connections to old elites ...

Jakarta stirs to percussion festival By Helly Minarti JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta continues to celebrate its 470th anniversary which was held on June 22 with festivities galore to mark the special occasion. The latest celebration is the Jakarta Percussion Festival '97 (Jakperc '97) which will be held on July 8 to July 9 at the Jakarta Fairground, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Injustice towards aborigines I read recently with contempt how four members of the Indonesian Human Rights Commission had traveled to Canberra reporting to a Human Rights Forum, convened by Australians. Perhaps the Indonesian delegates will be taught by their Australian counterparts on how to quietly decimate an entire race of people, (Australian aborigines), and still be regarded as a developed and civilized nation by the International Community.

Rembang *) When the sky pours down on you with rain Only spots of drizzle that you get When the sun's rays shine For you only the heat and just only that When the sea throws fishes ashore You only smell their bad odor And your sweat produces salt only To make your wounds throb more painfully Oh, my beloved town of drought The tamarind trees that guard your thoroughfares and the Tanjung flowery trees that bedeck your squares -- just like your RA Kartini who has become a statue -- and a tale for...

Expert calls for people's input in policy making JAKARTA (JP): The government should side with the people and show this by including them in all stages of policy making, an expert said over the weekend. The Public Administration Institute's rector, Ryaas Rasyid, told a discussion on the draft of the 1998-2003 Broad Guidelines of State Policies drawn up by the ruling Golkar, that the government needed to be more sensitive to the public's feelings and aspirations.

Kind hearts are worth more than coronets By K. Basrie CIREBON, West Java (JP): What's so right about being royal in an era when democracy, with its thorough leveling of social classes, reigns supreme? Nothing, according to nobles attending the ongoing Keraton (Palace) Festival here. Character and skill are what really count, they told The Jakarta Post.

Mixed fortunes for palaces of Yogyakarta and Surakarta By Sumanto YOGYAKARTA (JP): Yogyakarta Palace may be the exception in the grim historical journey of palaces in contemporary Indonesia. While most royal houses have collapsed or are crumbling, the Yogyakarta Palace is dynamically shaping its own role in Indonesia today. Many palaces, including the Surakarta residence just 64 kilometers away, are in advanced stages of disrepair, unable to fund basic maintenance let along renovations.

Devout Aceh is not shielded from problems with teens BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): It was Wednesday, ladies night at the disco here, and club hoppers gripped by Ecstasy's euphoric daze were out in force. Young people contorted their arms like electrified tree branches and swung their heads violently in the smoky room. A group of youths sat off in a dark corner reeking of the mingled aromas of alcohol, marijuana and clove cigarettes.

Staying one snazzy step ahead of the pack JAKARTA: Shoe manufacturers would stomp their feet in ire at the argument that shoes are simply footwear. And so would personality development gurus and executives who claim their expensive, shiny footwear puts them one step ahead of the competition. There is no turning back -- shoes have staked their place as coveted status symbols among Indonesia's affluent. Indonesian public figures take pride in their extensive brandname shoe collections.

Center helps teenagers solve problems Adolescence, broadly defined as falling from 10 to 19 years old, is one of the most crucial periods in a person's life. This is the time when people develop their own standards and question the values of their communities. The search for identity is also fraught with difficulties, some of which may be insurmountable without additional help. At the invitation of the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association, The Jakarta Post's reporter Rita A.

Who is not afraid of Jakarta? JAKARTA (JP): At 470 years of age Jakarta is still a city of opportunity for people who want to quit rural poverty, but it can be a horror city for others. Many villagers, who could hardly keep their noses above water back home, have moved to Jakarta because they decided that the best place to make money was where the rich spend it. And many are quite successful at earning their daily bowl of rice. The city of opportunity also offers criminals easy targets here.

The changing culture of Javanese 'keraton' titles By Singgih Wibisono JAKARTA (JP): It is said that if royal titles were to ignite endogenous pride among the today's society, travesty would take on a new meaning. Ancient Javanese culture saw the royal title as a means to address revered nobility and to establish a hierarchy. Times have changed. These days titles are as much for public relations as anything else. Evolving times demand suppression of traditional bias.

Aceh braces for new challenges BANDA ACEH (JP): Since the 17th century, Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh has enjoyed a reputation as one of the most prosperous Moslem areas in Southeast Asia. The region is often lauded as a place where Moslems have successfully blended tradition and religion. For the Acehnese, both elements are inseparable from their lives, what they term in the local language Adat ngon hukom lagee ngon sifeuet.